WITH year-end festivities just around the corner, many residents in KwaZulu-Natal wait in anticipation for the fireworks season. But while these displays will bring joy to thousands of spectators, at the same time they reign terror upon the region’s wildlife.

As a result, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) has appealed to residents to think twice before launching fireworks.

Paul Hoyte, Director of CROW, said, “Over the years we have seen a spike in CROW admissions directly after an evening of fireworks, resulting in baby animals being unnecessarily orphaned – particularly common among nesting birds and small mammals, frighten animals flee from the safety of their dens/nests in confusion created by the noise pollution of firework displays.”

It’s not just the young which will be affected by displays, he added.

For birds, he said, the panic can cause them to become disorientated, leading to them to fly into trees and buildings. On the ground animals running in fear are known to have fled onto roads – causing them to be hit by passing vehicles.

Following the displays some scavenging animals have also been known to ingest parts of the fireworks, usually resulting in death.

In order to try and limit the number of animals that are affected by the fireworks, the CROW team is calling on the public to consider using low-noise fireworks.

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